Several years ago, I had a blog named Language Views, with the tag line “looking at language and life.”
We all have views of language, whether we realize it or not. But how do those views intersect? And how do they shape our society?
I regret shuttering that blog, and I’d like to go back to these questions with this new one.
Here are just some of the angles we’ll be looking at:
Why do we say the things we say? Where do certain words, phrases, and idioms come from?
Where do grammar and usage rules come from? Why do people get riled up over some of them? What makes one view “right” and the other “wrong”? Who gets to decide?
What’s going on with new vocabulary and slang? Is relevant the new cool? How long does it take for words to spread from place to place and generation to generation?
How is language legislated? Why was my ancestor fined for swearing in Massachusetts in 1802? What are some modern laws about language?
What makes for “good writing”? Can AI produce it?
What makes for clear language? How can we make sure our listeners and readers understand our messages?
How are languages taught? What lessons go beyond the language classroom?
How do languages bring people together? How does it pull them apart?
As we go along, I hope you’ll share questions you have about language as well.
Fascination with language
I credit my family for sparking my interest in language, especially my brother, who is five years older than me. Before I started kindergarten, he made me a desk out of cardboard boxes, cut letters out of construction paper, and hung them on string to make me think they were floating in air, magically making words. We made letters out of snow and set them up on our grandmother’s porch to spell messages for the family. We found words in our Alpha-Bits cereal.
This inspiration led me to work with adults learning English as an additional language in community-based literacy programs in Massachusetts. I was a volunteer tutor, assessor, and conversation group leader over many years. And I eventually earned a master’s degree in applied linguistics.
But while I’m fascinated with all languages and I love learning about them, I admit that I am fluent in only English. I still know some rudimentary Spanish and took a year of German in college, but I am otherwise woefully monolingual. It’s something I want to work on.
What are your language views?
I hope you’ll join me in these conversations! Feel free to share your own language views!
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